Many services exist that support any of various forms of messaging. Example messaging service types include chat messaging, text messaging, instant messaging, direct messaging, and micro-blogging. Other services whose core functionality is not centered on messaging may nevertheless incorporate messaging components or modules to support messaging as an ancillary function. Social networks, for instance, incorporate a messaging component enabling users to message each other. Web forums where people post to ‘threads’ are another form of messaging service. Many other kinds of messaging services exist.
Typically each user of a messaging service will have an account under which they exchange messages with other users and perform other activities. Messages can be one-on-one messages group messages, in which a message sent by a user is conveyed or otherwise viewable by several people of a group of which the user is a part, or public messages/posts. Many services allow a user to associate a picture, avatar, icon, or other form of user/account profile picture with the user's account. The profile picture is displayed to the other users of the service in any of various interfaces, for instance in a messaging session with the user, a profile or directory entry for the user, or in a list of friends or contacts. A user's profile picture is often set by the user as a single, static image and conveyed to other users of the messaging service.
Some example features in messengers allow a user to set the picture that the user sees for a given person (e.g. User A sets a picture that User A sees for User B). In these examples, only User A will see that picture for User B; it is unrelated to any picture that user B may have set for himself in his own settings, and unrelated to what other users have selected to show for user B on their end. Accordingly, existing approaches fail to provide enhanced options for profile picture selection and settings.